The present invention is related to optical storage technology. In particular, the present invention is related to the loader platform for optical storage devices.
An optical disc drive contains two main parts, the loader mechanism and the traverse mechanism. The traverse mechanism includes the optical pickup unit (OPU), a gear system, turntable and spindle motor. The loader mechanism includes a chassis, a loader tray, gear system, lifter and motor. Due to the great demand for high speed optical disc drives, the industry is constantly launching new products with increased speed, particularly in the optical pick up unit and the traverse mechanism. With each new OPU and traverse mechanism produced, a new loader system has to be designed to accommodate them. Furthermore, OPU""s and traverse mechanism from different manufacturer vary from each other, such that a customized loader has to be manufactured to accommodate the differences, increasing the cost of manufacturing a optical disc drive. There is therefore a need to address the differences between the different traverse mechanisms for the purposes of minimizing the costs of tooling, manufacturing and assembling optical disc drives.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a loader system which solves the problems stated above.
It is another object to provide a loader system which may be universally adapted for different OPU""s and traverse mechanisms.
It is another object to provide method for designing a universal loader for optical disc drives which may be adapted for different OPU and traverse mechanisms.
The present invention provides a universal loader platform for different traverse mechanism and discloses a method for orienting a given traverse mechanism in such a manner as to fit into the universal loader. According to one feature of the present invention, there is provided a universal loader mechanism with an internal cavity of sufficient space to accommodate traverse mechanisms and OPU""s of many different sizes and shapes. According to another feature, the positioning of any traverse mechanism is determined by the orientation of its turntable. The traverse mechanism is positioned within the internal cavity in a manner whereby the lateral center of the turntable coincides with the lateral center of the tray in its fully retracted position. According to yet another feature of the invention, a suitable adapter is provided to realize the proper positioning of the traverse mechanism. According to a further feature, a suitable chuck is designed to match the corresponding turntable, and a lifter with a suitable lifting height is provided to ensure that the turntable at its lifted position can interact with the chuck. Since a customized adapter and chuck is much simpler to produce than a complete loader system, the present invention reduces the overall cost of tooling, manufacturing and assembling optical disc drives.
According to the requirements of the universal loader, a different adapter may be designed to secure a corresponding traverse mechanism. Each adapter has a frame with a height, an outer edge. The frame defines a space wherein the traverse mechanism is received. The outer edge is adapted to match the interior cavity of the universal loader, and remains the same for different adapters once the design of the universal loader has been determined. The frame is also provided with attachment means for securing the adapter onto the loading mechanism, and securing means for securing the traverse mechanism with the space. The height of the frame is designed to be low enough to allow the turntable of the corresponding traverse mechanism to clear the tray. Using this design, different adapters may be molded to accommodate different traverse mechanisms, while the same universal loader can still be used.